Maccabi travel to Ashdod this evening to face the bottom of the table side for MD14 of the ONE ZERO League. The match against Ashdod will be the first of 2024 and will also begin the second the league round. Ido Shahar who signed a new 2.5-year-deal at the club spoke ahead of the match. “It is a very emotional moment for me as it was my dream to play for Maccabi’s first team ever-since I joined the club’s Youth Academy at the age of 11. We used to train on the artificial pitch at Kiryat Shalom and we used to sneak peeks towards the first team’s trainings. It was my dream, as I am happy to have reached this status and this situation. I went through the entire journey from the youth academy to the senior side via Beitar Tel Aviv. I think I did the right process to be able to reach this stage ready.”
The 22-year-old midfielder who had loan spells with various clubs, added: “I knew it was going to be my season and I had a feeling I will stay here” he added, “The start of my season wasn’t easy after what I experienced in the summer with the disappointment of missing out on the U21 European Championship Finals for medical reasons. I couldn’t train at 100% level in pre-season but worked really hard during all this time, waited for my chance and I am delighted to have received it.”
On work under Robbie Keane and his coaching staff, Shahar revealed: “As a young player this is the best you can ask for. They all have so much experience as they played at the highest levels and besides that they are people who come to teach you as well. I take so many tips from them as well as from so many experienced players we have here. Eran (Zahavi), Sheran (Yeini) and Dor (Peretz). I love learning from those players as I managed to take something from everyone.”
On the qualities that have taken Maccabi to such heights this season, Shahar explained: “This year I feel there is something special in the dressing room. Everyone is just united and the feeling in training is just phenomenal. There is an amazing group of guys, an excellent vibe and I am really enjoying myself. In the end you are measured by victories and if you don’t do your work one can say that all the other stuff isn’t interesting. As soon as you win everything is looking good and it helps the atmosphere.”
Maccabi will play Ashdod behind closed doors as Shahar said: “Obviously there is a massive difference between playing in front of fans ort empty seats, but I am not trying to make any excuses ahead of the match. We would have clearly wished to see our fans there as it would help us having them around, but we still need to win this match.”
On the difficulty of playing away to Ashdod, Shahar summed up: “Ashdod, and not just against Maccabi is a difficult ground for every team to play at. It’s a very tough place to come to. But we are a good team and need to keep our momentum.” With Maccabi winning the last nine league matches in succession and 11 in all competitions, Shahar knows what needs to be kept: “We have a great momentum going and we need to continue without stopping. One of the most important things at Maccabi is the quality of the squad. This is a squad that at every given moment and at every match, every player can be in the starting line-up. This is a blessing and a very healthy ingredient for a team. At times like this, when the space between matches is short and the intensity is high, we need all our squad. Everyone needs to be ready so that when the chance comes his way he can take it and do everything for the team.”
